Freefly has released a lightweight Alexa Mini battery solution, the side mounted v-lock plate makes the perfect partner for the Movi M15.
The Alexa Mini body is just the starting point when spec’ing the compact cinema camera. You’ll need glass, power, monitoring and control to get the thing shooting.
Most existing battery solutions involve a rail-based plate riding off the back of the camera. You need the larger Arri MAP-2 baseplate with rod support for this, meaning things very quickly get big and heavy. Freefly’s solution keeps the camera profile slim and perhaps most important of all, light.
Conventional rear-mounted battery with a heavy MAP-2 baseplate.
The bracket is made from carbon fibre so it is very light but remains strong. It has a v-lock plate that mounts to the side of the camera, offering up a pass through 14.8V D-Tap and regulated 12v D-Tap port.
The battery plate is placed towards the back of the camera body allowing for full use of the top cage on the M15, as well as providing mounting points on the top and bottom for both Movi slide plates.
Included is a custom cable with a right-angle LEMO to D-Tap that connects from the back of the camera straight into the v-lock plate. I love the fact that it’s a right-angle LEMO, perfect for gimbal use when trying to keep the camera profile as short as possible.
Being an ambidextrous camera, I can’t see any reason why you can use this on the reverse side of the camera. The Alexa Mini is designed in a way that you can shift accessories around the shell since the mounting points on the top and bottom are the same.
I can certainly see a use for switching it to the dumb side of the camera as this would make a very compact setup for the Alexa Mini that would be just as useful outside of gimbal use. It would need clarifying from Freefly that the V-lock Adapter Kit for ALEXA Mini doesn’t clash with the vents on that side, however.
Alexa Mini with FREEFLY V-Lock Handlebar Adapter Kit
If you’re a Movi M10 operator, you may want to consider the FREEFLY V-Lock Handlebar Adapter Kit. This is what I’ve used up to now when shooting on the Alexa Mini/M15. Very simply, this moves the battery plate off the gimbal carriage and onto the handlebars.
On the handlebar/ring there is no influence on the payload of the camera, meaning compatibility with the Alexa Mini in regards to weight is still possible of the lighter loaded Movi M10.
The FREEFLY V-Lock Adapter Kit for ALEXA Mini is ready to ship, however as it is a special order item, you’ll be unable to get it directly off the shelf—it also carries a typical Arri Alexa taxed price at $850.

Atomos just added a new product to their existing lineup of widely used hard disk recorders and camera converters. The power station is a small brick that helps power all devices on your rig including the camera itself.
The Atomos power station seems like an intelligent approach. The common solution to powering a whole camera rig is to use v-mount or other third party batteries as base stations, but they are heavy and can complicate your rig. The Atomos solution uses adapters to accommodate your native camera batteries (2 at a time) as a power source for your camera and any additional accessories. We like the idea.
The Atomos power station will be available at the end of next month October and cost $295.

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Get your gear through B&H to support this platform: www.bhphotovideo.comAt IBC ikan was the only company that had a really affordable battery solution for the Blackmagic Cinema Camera “battery dilemma”.
As you probably know by now the Blackmagic Cinema Camera will have a fixed internal battery only that will obviously run out at one point or another during your shoot. Naturally accessory manufacturers are breaking their head over how they can make an attractive external battery solution that will end up on your buying list.